The TELO MT1 Is A Mini Cooper-Sized Electric Pickup That Promises F-150 Payload For Under $50K

We recently wrote about the shortcomings of EV off-roaders and Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson’s comments about how EV trucks just won’t be affordable without a gas motor. Both of these men are a lot smarter than I, so I read the articles and immediately agreed with them. But last night, I went to the launch event for the Telo MT1 — a tiny electric pickup truck promising 350 miles of range, 0-60 in 4 seconds, 2000 pound of payload, 8-passenger seating, and a sub-$50K asking price — and gotta admit, I’m a fan.

Syling is highly debatable, and I honestly flip flop on it. In some ways, the TELO reminds me a lot of the designs The Bishop drew of a UTV/golf cart mashup. The short front end with tires that look like they’re just barely extending past the front bumper is very reminiscent of the UTV/golf cart world, but its front end is also a bit of VW ID. Buzz thanks to its round, almost cab-over design.

From it’s cabin to the back of the truck, I think it’s the spitting image of a Rivian; see for yourself:

Maybe I’m just seeing things and refuse to differentiate EV trucks from each other, or maybe it’s the fact that they both have a storage tunnel in the bed. Regardless, there are worse trucks to be compared to than an R1T.

The cab-over look makes it look a decent bit like a Japanese Kei-truck (or any other cab-over truck for that matter), and I think that’s what’ll hold you up on the styling here, but if you can swallow that pill, I think you’ll love everything else this truck has to offer. “And what things does it have to offer, Griffin?!” A lot!

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If you get the higher end model with dual motors, you’re getting yourself a truck that promises 500 HP, 0-60 in 4 seconds, 350 miles of range, 20-minute 20-80% fast charging of the 106 kWh battery, and a 2,000 pound payload. This version of the truck will run you $49,999 before tax incentives, and if that’s too rich for your blood, check out the single motor , rear-wheel drive option! It’s good for 300 hp, 4.5 second 0-60, 260 miles range, and 1,700 pound payload.

By the way, those payload figures are absurd. Check out this Ford F-150 payload rating chart:

One of TELO’s engineers told me that the company built  its configurator to default to the single motor option because it’s cheaper at $41,520, but they found the majority of preorders were for the dual motor option despite the eight grand price difference. His theory as to why is because at $50,000, you’re still undercutting the $60,000 average price of the gas guzzling alternatives, and that’s all before you get the EV incentives, too.

And since we’re comparing it to the big traditional trucks sold in the US, let’s take a look about how its size compares to a Tacoma:

The photo really says it all here, doesn’t it? You’re getting the same amount of bed in a dramatically reduced footprint and in a more economical vehicle. It’s almost like it’s better to compare this thing to a smaller economy commuter given it’s cute little size. What’s that? The company already made that comparison for us on its website? Well let’s see it then:

Yeah pinch me, I’m dreaming. A truck with the footprint of a frickin MINI. Okay, but these press photos are one thing, let’s see how it looked at the actual event, just hear me out here: the event was packed as hell so I didn’t get as much personal time with it as I would’ve liked, but it’s still worth showing. Check it:

Looking at these first couple of photos, you’ll see that the car is small in stature. I’m 6’2 (bragging) and was absolutely towering over it, as were many people in attendance. The bed of the truck also comes with tie down notches along its base and sides, so you can really use this thing as a work truck and secure your loads whenever you’re hauling. Also: those taillights are just really frickin cool.

Its interior is made out of sustainable materials, largely cork and ocean plastics. The company was also really proud of the way it redesigned the concept of a car seat, opting to have a center post as opposed to the traditional two rails on the seat’s base. The benefit there is that passengers in the rear get to fully extend their legs under the seat in front of them, making the interior feel that much roomier for them. And if you wanna make the ride even roomier:

TELO plans on offering a camper shell type attachment that can turn the truck into a van with optional seats, turning this five seater into an eight seater once set up. But even if you don’t wanna make this thing a people hauler, that bed of the truck can do the almighty:

You can drop the rear seats and make it a midgate like it’s nothing, now becoming eight feet long (with the tailgate up).

You probably wonder how small this thing feels when you’re in it; check out this video by our friends at The Fast Lane Truck:

(And here’s a look at a prototype tube-frame chassis, and here is a stripped down proto off-roading).

You may be wondering: Who even is TELO?

Well, the company’s website has a bio of the three founders, Yves Béhar, Forrest North, and Jason Marks. Here’s a little blurb from the site:

Jason led the Autonomous Vehicles and Driver Assistance Systems test programs at National Instruments (NI), where he was a Chief Business Development Manager.

(…)

Forrest was on the early Tesla team where he developed the battery pack on the Roadster that’s on its way to Mars.

(…)

Yves founded Fuseproject in 1999, an award-winning, international multidisciplinary design studio.

It looks like the company got $5.4 million in VC funding by NEO last March, plus there was some seed capital. The company also likely hopes to obtain funding from the $152 preorder ask, along with the publicity from last night’s launch (which could bring in more investors). TELO says it plans to deliver cars in 2026, using contract manufacturing.

Obviously, this is just a prototype, and whether it will actually come to market is anyone’s guess. Still, the more I looked at the TELO MT1, the more I fell in love with it. What do y’all think?